A small island in Italy is desperately trying to control its bursting population. Do not be fooled, only 100 people reside in this small island named Alicudi. Then why the population control, you may ask? Well, that is because the population being tried to bring under control is that of goats, not humans. Believe it or not, with a human population of just 100, 600 goats roam free on the island. Alicudi is among the seven inhabited islands within the Aeolian Islands group, situated off the shores of Sicily and mainland Italy. It stands out as the most isolated and least populated among them, with its tranquillity occasionally interrupted solely by sporadic ferry arrivals and the sound of donkeys, which serve as the primary means of transportation on the island. But the braying of donkeys is the least of the worries of the people of Alicudi. The island is being overrun by goats. To solve the problem, the government has decided to give away the goats for free.
It has come up with an Adopt A Goat program and allows anyone to take away some goats from the island. The initiative permits individuals to request up to 50 goats, provided they submit their application along with a Rs 1400 stamp fee before April 10. Upon approval, successful applicants will be granted a 15-day window to capture and transport the goats to their homes. Mayor Ricardo Gullo has declared his intention to continue the program until only approximately 100 goats remain.
The goats, initially brought to the island by a farmer and mainly confined to Alicudi’s steep mountains and cliffs, have reproduced exponentially. As a result, they have spread into areas where humans reside and are causing mayhem by munching on everything, destroying gardens, lawns and natural greenery. As a result, Mayor Ricardo Gullo had to launch the Adopt a Goat program.
Comments
0 comment